Fading
by Azkabella
Summary: Buffy and the gang prepare for the upcoming apocalypse, unaware that it is already taking place on the other side of the globe. Post Angel finale.
1. Default Chapter

Full moon. Willow couldn't help but see it and think of Oz. She wondered where he was, who was taking care of him, if he was happy. The full moon was Oz time.

"Will, we gonna do this or not?"

Willow turned to face Xander, his face glowing in the bright moonlight. "Sorry," she told her. "I guess it's spell time."

She sighed and looked around. The terrace outside of Giles' apartment got a lot of moonlight, and it was quiet enough so that Xander would be free from distraction. She placed five yellow candles in specific points around them.

"My head's not going to get real big, is it?"

Willow grinned. "Bigger than it already is?"

"Hey!"

"Sorry. You need to clear your mind. This will take awhile."

"Right, until the sun comes up. Are you sure this is the best idea?"

"You said you wanted to be more helpful."

"I know, it's just… psychic energy? How are you so sure I have any?"

"Everyone has psychic energy, Xander," she explained as she lit the candles. "It's just stronger in some than in others."

"You think I'll get some sort of vision of this thing?"

Willow frowned and blew out her match. "Maybe. I'm expecting it'll be less like one of those movie flashbacks, and more like a heightened awareness of what's going on around us."

"Somebody should have that. I am Mr. Sees-All."

Willow smiled warmly and touched the side of his face, beneath the eye patch. "Hey, you're going to be great. I have faith in you."

Xander smiled. "That's all that matters."

Kennedy glared at Xander through the window, hiding herself from view by the curtains.

"So, Xander and Willow have some kind of heterohistory, hmm?" She turned to Dawn and Buffy. "Didn't you say something about them having an affair?"

Dawn's eyes widened and Buffy turned to her. Her guilt was apparent. "I didn't think she'd care much."

"Don't worry," Buffy said quickly. "It's just a spell."

"Isn't that how Will hooked up with her first girlfriend?" Kennedy asked suspiciously. "Magic?"

"Yeah, but it's all different. Willow's gay! Very gay. Gay with you gay."

"Ouch! Hot, hot hot hothothothot!"

All eyes turned towards the kitchen doorway.

"You bloody…" Giles began, shaking with anger. "You said you knew how to operate an oven!"

"I did – I do!" Andrew cried. Smoke was rising from the oven as Giles pulled out the burnt lasagna. "It's just, the timer knob looked strikingly similar to the temperature knob."

"Well, dinner's ruined," Giles sighed. "I don't suppose you want to break it to the girls that we'll be having canned soup again?"

Andrew smiled miserably.

"Close your eyes," Willow instructed. The ritual was almost complete. "Imagine yourself surrounded by a brilliant white light. You're in a cocoon…"

Buffy stared at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair. She thought idly of cutting it. Well past her shoulders, she found it tiring to care for the longer locks. Buffy had gotten several compliments the last time she'd cut her hair, but they may have come from politeness more than anything. Spike had liked her long hair, although he was evil then. She didn't know if she wanted to be attracting anymore evil things towards her, especially after her violent breakup with the Immortal. Buffy looked down at her left shoulder, and through strap of her camisole she could see a faint white line. Slayers healed fast, but they still scarred.

"You almost ready for bed?"

She looked over at Dawn, who was already lounging on the sofa. Buffy frowned slightly.

"You get the couch tonight?"

"You had it last night."

"I still say Giles should get one of those pull-out bed sofa thing…" Buffy gasped loudly as she felt a sharp pain in her heart. The hairbrush slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.

"Buffy? You OK?"

Buffy shook her head quickly, trying to shake of the sudden onset of emotion. "Yeah, it's just…" She bent down and plucked the hairbrush from the living room floor. "A pain."

"C'mon, sleeping bag's not that bad," Dawn replied, oblivious to her sister's pain. "At least it's all thermal and stuff, Giles' apartment gets so cold at night."

"Yeah," Buffy said distractedly, holding the hairbrush over her heart as her eyes returned to the mirror. "Cold."

* * *

Spike gasped as he was suddenly covered in dust. He nearly dropped his sword, the pain in his chest being so startling. He looked up at the large, troll-like demon that had stabbed Angel from behind.

Angel had stopped momentarily to ask if Spike had seen Illyria when suddenly there was a large, wooden stake protruding from his chest.

Angel was dead.

Spike growled as he lifted the axe he'd nicked off a Grellar demon over his head. He screamed loudly as he swung the axe and decapitated the beast in one stroke.

Angel was gone.

All of a sudden there was a swirling of dust before him. Spike backed away from it as the swirling ball grew and then exploded before him. His eyes snapped shut, expecting he was going to be blown to pieces. When he realized that he wasn't, he opened his eyes to see Angel standing in front of him, looking like he'd just spent the weekend at a beauty spa.

"Y-You died."

Angel grinned and cocked his head to the side. "Kinda."

"B-But…" Spike was dumbfounded. "I'm covered in your dust."

"Think of it as a second skin."

Spike merely gawked at him in reply. Angel grinned and lifted his left hand, in which he held a golden amulet. "Hey, nobody said I couldn't wear one."

Spike glared at Angel in annoyance. Stupid bugger should've told about that little detail. "Got any more _skins_ left after that one?"

"I don't know. Either it protects me all night or just the once. I took my chances."

"Angel, behind you!"

* * *

"Dawn," Xander moaned, falling onto his back. "I don't think there's anything in the world more beautiful than you."

"Yeah," Willow smiled. "I bet it's all the beautifuler now that you're more... aware of it?"

Her last statement had come out more as a question. They'd finished the ritual, now it was time to see if it had worked.

"I dunno," he replied. "I don't feel any different. Seriously sleep deprived, but no different."

Willow stared at his eye. "You don't look any different."

"My head didn't grow?"

"Nope, still Xander-shaped." She looked towards the window. "Everyone else is probably still asleep. We should be quiet going in."

"That's it? No visions? I don't feel very 'awakened.'"

"If it didn't work then… well, I'll be pissed. But it may take awhile for your senses to fully kick in, or for your visions to manifest."

"Manifest?" Xander replied nervously as they headed towards the door.

"Not physically. Now be quiet."

She opened the door and they tiptoed inside. Buffy and Dawn appeared to be sleeping soundly, yet they still walked quietly as they made their way towards their respective rooms. Willow and Kennedy slept in the spare bedroom while Xander shared the floor with Andrew in Giles'. He wasn't looking forward to the snorefest.

"Hey guys."

They both shrieked in surprise when they heard Buffy. She sat up on the floor and looked at them.

"Sorry," she said, noticing Dawn didn't stir. "That is so not fair. That girl could sleep through anything."

"We didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's OK. I wasn't really sleeping. Did the ritual work? Is Xander Mr. Seeing-Eye Man?"

"No, not yet. It may take a while for us to tell. I've never done any psychic awakenings before. Not that it was me, it was all Xander."

"Right," he frowned. "So I'm the one who messed it up."

"No, sweetie. You didn't mess up. Well, we don't think you did."

"So Buff, why didn't you sleep?" Xander asked, changing the subject.

"I… last night I had this feeling."

"Feeling?"

"It was like a sharp blow to my chest, and I felt cold. It only hurt for a little while, but it made me feel…" She trailed off, unable to describe the emptiness that had kept her awake all night. "I dunno. It was really strange."

"You sure you don't want to see a doctor?" Willow asked.

"No, I'm fine. It just freaked me out. It was so sudden."

* * *

Angel walked alone in the sewers. He had retreated there when the sun had risen, causing the bodies of all the slain beasts and demons to turn to ash as its light fell on them. Wolfram Hart has always been good at covering its tracks.

Gunn was the first. Angel cringed. No, he was the second. Wesley was the first. He stopped at an intersection and sighed. He should never have allowed himself to grow close to humans. He'd lose them all, eventually – Cordelia, Wes, Gunn… Fred. All gone.

Angel fell against the wall and slid to the ground, feeling the extent of his injuries finally hit him. He wondered if Spike and Illyria were still out there, and how badly wounded they were if they'd made it alive. He hoped they did. Someone should live to see something better.

* * *

"All awake, are we?" Giles asked with a yawn as he appeared in the living room.

"No, Xander conked out shortly after we finished the ritual." Willow turned in her seat at the kitchen table and looked to Xander, who was draped across the tabletop.

"Did it work?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know. He hasn't shown any signs of psychic ability."

"Oh my god!" Xander shouted, shooting up in his seat. "Awakened… I get it now."

"What? What's happening?" Willow asked. Giles, Buffy and Dawn crowded towards him. Xander's eye had gone completely white.

"This is so weird… nothing like this was supposed to happen," Willow told them as she watched Xander anxiously.

"Xander, do you see anything?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah," he replied gravely with a gulp. "Blood. Lots of blood."

Everyone exchanged worried glances, hoping he wasn't seeing their future. Xander closed his eye and when it opened it had returned to normal. "Well that was entertaining."

"Could you see anything else?" Giles asked.

"Besides," Dawn gulped. "Blood?"

"No," he replied, turning to Buffy. She looked away in disappointment, unable to see the truth staring back at her.

"Hey Will, do you think you could help me with something?" he said quietly.

"OK," she replied, moving with him towards the bathroom. Once she'd closed the door behind them she spoke again. "What did you see?"

"Spike," he replied. "He's alive."

"W-What?"

"And when I say alive? I don't just mean he's miraculously got a body alive. I mean _really_ alive. Spike's human."


	2. Broken Bodies

A/N: Thanks for the feedback, it encouraged my muse to visit more often hint hint

* * *

Willow stared back at him in shock, her eyes bulging. "What? Human? Wait, how do you know he was human? Was he wearing a sandwich board that said 'Check me out, I'm human!'?"

"Well, there was a sunlight factor, and I didn't notice him bursting into flames."

"How can… but he's dead! _Dead_ dead! Burnt up in the bottom of a crater dead! That's pretty dead!"

"I know what I saw, Will," he spoke firmly.

"Are you sure you weren't seeing the past? I mean, there was that whole Gem of Amara thing, and Spike did get injured a lot…"

"I thought the whole purpose of this awakening was to see what's going on with the apocalypse?"

"Well," Willow said weakly as she tried to find an answer. "Maybe we did it wrong. Maybe you're seeing the last apocalypse?"

Xander shook his head. "This didn't feel like a glimpse from the past, or the future. It felt… really real. I think Spike's out there somewhere."

"Oh my god. Should we tell Buffy?"

"I dunno." Xander ran a hand over his tired face. "I'm not sure it's a good idea. It would just freak her out. Even if he is alive, why should it matter?"

"Xander…"

"I mean, I know Spike was Mr. Save-The-World in the end, but that doesn't mean we have to do anything about it."

"Then why would you get the vision if it had nothing to do with us?"

Xander put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Do you think he saved the world again?" he asked dubiously.

"Spike may be many things, but he's not exactly an overachiever. Did you know where he was?"

"No. I saw mostly colors and flashes of light. Red, white, blue…"

"That's very… patriotic?"

"Blue," he added excitedly. "I remember. I saw something blue. No, I think it was _someone blue_."

"You saw a Smurf?"

Xander grinned. "Didn't look like a Smurf to me."

* * *

"Spike. Wake up."

He felt something jab him in the ribs and he rolled over, coughing blood. He couldn't remember having this much blood. Where was it all coming from?

"Illyria… that you?"

"They're gone," she said simply, before falling down beside him on the street.

"What?" Spike asked groggily. He must've been knocked unconscious, he didn't remember what he was doing. The last thing he could remember was drinking… _lots_ of drinking. And poetry. And… "Oh god…" he mumbled. "Where are the others? Gunn, we lost him… Angel?"

"I did not see him. He may have escaped into the sewers when the sun rose. Ahh," she moaned, clutching at her stomach. "This form is weak… it bleeds."

"You've had that body for quite a while, luv," Spike muttered gravely. "Might as well call it your own. 'S not like…"

"Spike?"

He started coughing blood. "What… the hell?" He couldn't remember a chest wound hurting this much. He squinted as he looked upwards. "Hey," he said weakly. "Is that the sun?"

* * *

"Hey. Morning," Willow greeted Kennedy nervously as she left the bathroom.

"Morning," Kennedy replied, giving her girlfriend an odd look. "How did the spell… go?" She frowned when Xander exit behind Willow.

"It worked," she replied. "Just not like we'd expected. Um," she moved away from the door. "Bathroom's free."

Kennedy glared at Xander's back as he and Willow made their way towards the living room.

Buffy, Dawn, Giles and Andrew sat in the living room, all looking tense.

"So," Andrew began when he saw Xander. "Everyone says you saw a vision filled with blood. Could you tell if it was O negative, because I'm not too sure if I…"

"Shut up, Andrew," Dawn and Giles said in unison.

"So what are we supposed to do with this?" Buffy asked. "You saw blood. We don't even know what that means. We don't know whose blood it is, or why it's there or…" Buffy shook her head in frustration. Willow and Xander did their best to hide their guilty faces. "We need more to go on. Are you sure you didn't see anything else?"

Willow looked away and Xander shook his head. "No. Just blood."

"We're looking into it. Xander and I are going to try and get some sleep. We're pretty wiped."

"Yes," Giles agreed. "You'll need to keep your energy up. We'll do our best to keep quiet.

Buffy had a bad feeling about this whole affair. Every time she closed her eyes she could see herself in the mirror, gasping in surprise and clutching a hand to her chest. Buffy knew that it wasn't just a random pain, there was more to it. She wished she felt so sure about these visions Xander was having.

* * *

She awoke when it had gone dark. A siren sounded in the distance, the first sound she was aware of as she sat up in the dark alley.

Illyria looked down at her middle. Red blood was caked onto her suit, but the pain in her abdomen had dulled considerably. Despite the fact that she had healed quickly, Illyria scowled at her weak body. _I have come to call it my own_, she noted. _Spike would be pleased._

She sat up fully and took in her surroundings. Spike lay still beside her, his chest rising and falling at a slow rate. She moved closer towards him. He was covered in blood, but his body was still warm.

He was still alive.

Illyria cocked her head to the side. Still? His living was the cause of great confusion. Wesley had taught her about the powers and weaknesses of vampires, and she didn't remember living to be one of them.

Illyria noticed that his eyes were slightly open. She leaned forward and placed her hand over the lids, moving to close them. Spike twitched slightly at the contact and coughed.

"You're awake."

He coughed more before responding. "It hurts."

"You've been badly wounded. It also seems that you are mortal."

"I can't," he muttered hoarsely, gasping for breath. Illyria waited to hear more but his eyes closed. He'd passed out again.

He was fading. Illyria wasn't going to let him die, not like Wesley. If she had to live on this earth, so would they.

"Hospital," she murmured, remembering that it was a place where injured people went for aid. She slid an arm beneath Spike's head and lifted it off of the great. She would have to carry him to the nearest hospital, even though she didn't know where that was.

"That won't do for him."

Illyria turned towards the opening of the alley. A man in a long brown coat stood there, his skin paler than Spike's and his eyes dark and hallow looking.

"Who are you?" she asked, laying Spike's head back on the ground. He moaned slightly but didn't wake.

"A past acquaintance," he replied, revealing his blackened teeth. "Ah, I see dear William has not only regained his body, but his mortality as well."

Illyria stood and faced the stranger. She could sense his intent – he wished to harm Spike. "You will not harm him."

"Are you going to stop me, little girl?" he asked mockingly, taking steps towards her. "I've got quite a bone to pick with him."

"You will come no closer."

"He's the key to my freedom," he continued, ignoring her commands. "If I destroy him, I am set free. Free to live forever however I choose."

"I warned you."

The disheveled man lunged towards her with his arms outstretched. Illyria merely reached out and grabbed his head, then gave his neck a good snap. Pavayne fell dead to the ground.

She returned her eyes to the alley's entrance. "More will come."

_

* * *

There was so much blood. It covered the dark streets in all different colors, coming from all different kinds of beasts and creatures. Most of what he saw was red._

"Spike," a voice echoed. Everything around him seemed to be tilting from side to side, like he was on a carnival ride. Blue eyes met his. "Spike."

Xander shook his head. He'd just had another vision, and this time he clearly saw a woman, very blue and very… attractive. _OK, focus on more important details_. He shot up from the bed and moved into the living room. "Guys!" he shouted, but no one answered. No one was in the kitchen, but he found a note on the counter.

_Gone to the grocery store, be back soon._

Did everyone leave? Xander looked out onto the balcony and in Giles' study but found no one. It wasn't until he opened the door to the guest bedroom that he found he was not alone.

"Willow," he said, approaching the bed. She lay still on her back, her eyes closed and her arms folded over her middle. "I think I just had another vision, or a really weird dream. It seems to only work when I'm waking up. Gives more meaning to the term 'awakened,' huh?"

No response. "Hey, Will," he said, gently shaking her shoulder. She didn't move. "Will?" he repeated weakly. She was _really_ still. "Willow, c'mon, you're scaring me." She was still breathing, but why wouldn't she wake up. "Will?"

Xander looked around the room. She might've done a spell or something; she was probably in a trance. He had to be sure, though. He saw her laptop sitting on the desk by the door, apparently recently used. Moving closer Xander saw that she'd pulled up a map of Los Angeles, and that a certain part of it was glowing. Not from the computer screen glowing, he could see that she'd used magic to do a locator spell. The light shone through the back of the monitor.

"OK," he said, processing the information. "I guess we know where Spike is." He turned to his friend's rigid body. "Now where are you?"

* * *

Willow navigated her way through the planes, luckily landing in the one she had been seeking. On this plane everywhere and everything was located in one spot, including her essence. If she concentrated hard enough, she could return to a plane that ran parallel to their own anywhere she wanted.

A burst of light shone around her and then disappeared. She found herself in an alley, standing over the body of what appeared to be a transient. "Oh," she muttered. "Harsh realities of the big city."

She then noticed that he wasn't the only one in the alley besides herself, and that he hadn't died due to lack of resources. Spike lay a few feet behind him in a bloody heap, but it was the figure that stood before her that concerned Willow the most.

"Fred?"


	3. Closing In

"OK," said Giles, looking over the list as they left the grocery store. "We've got tomatoes for the sauce, angel hair pasta for Dawn…"

"I can't stand regular spaghetti, it's so chewy!"

"Yes," Giles sighed, rolling his eyes. "And that will be your fifth lament on chewy pasta this evening."

"Two six packs of beer," Andrew chimed in, lifting the beer cases that he held in each hand and grinning. "Tonight we shall drink like men."

Buffy, Dawn and Kennedy shot him a look.

"And women. Really strong, scary women."

Buffy smiled. Part of her never could get over the fact that she struck fear into the hearts of men. Wait, was that a good thing?

"So Buff" Dawn began. "Barring any random raids by the under-aged drinking police, could I join in the festivities?"

Buffy didn't hear her. Her attention had been caught by the little shop nestled in between the bakery and the newsstand.

"What, she won't let you drink?" Kennedy asked.

"The drinking laws in Britain are considerably more lax than in America," Giles added. "But um, if Buffy doesn't want you to drink then you shouldn't. You're seventeen. Yes, much too young."

Dawn stared at Giles in amazement. "Please."

"Madam Zora's," Buffy whispered, reading the hand painted sign in the window. It was half past six and she was still open. Why this mattered, Buffy wasn't quite sure.

"Oh hey," she called to the others. "I forgot something. Catch you back at the apartment?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and kept walking. Buffy slid into the shop as soon as they were out of sight.

The small entryway smelled strongly of incense and scented candles, and Buffy marveled at how anyone could stay awake with such an overwhelming scent invading their nostrils all day. Buffy inhaled deeply before passing through the beaded doorway.

"Hello?" she called. A short woman stood across the room with her back to her. She obviously hadn't heard Buffy come in.

Buffy took this opportunity to take in her surroundings. The walls were paneled with wood, though across them hung several different colored silk scarves. Several rickety shelves were covered with packages of incense, jars filled with familiar looking powders, and in the center of the room was a small circular table covered in a large indigo tablecloth. No crystal balls in sight.

"You may have a seat, my dear."

Buffy jumped, startled. The black haired woman hadn't turned from the table at the far end to address her, and she never realized that she was aware of her.

She sat down in one of the creaky seats at the small table, wondering why she came here. Madam Zora, as Buffy assumed her to be, soon appeared on the other side of the table. She had a white and purple scarf wrapped around her black hair and large brown eyes. She wore a meshy black shawl around her shoulders and several rings on her fingers.

"Now, my dear," the elderly woman asked, her large eyes searching Buffy's face. "What brings you here?"

It wasn't until she was asked that she knew the answer. "I feel kind of… lost."

"Ahh, lost. In love?"

"No, not really. It's just… I've lost so much in the past few years. My mom, good friends… people close to me. Where I used to live, it's gone, and now…"

"And now you're trying to find home?"

Buffy smiled. "I guess."

"All the signs are misleading, hmm?" Madam Zora slid a hand beneath the tablecloth and pulled out a pack of tarot cards. "Let's see if we can find our way."

_Tarot cards. You're sitting in a smelly English magic shop with the most stereotypical fortune teller reading you tarot cards._

The first card hit the table. The words were in a language Buffy did not understand, but the images recognizable.

"A former lover will resurface."

_Oh really?_ Buffy thought, slightly amused by the cliché.

Another card hit the table. "Hmm," the woman hummed, placing more cards after it. "Darkness lies in your path."

No surprise there, Buffy thought.

"Death." Madam Zora looked down at the card she had placed on the table. "Death."

"Death?" Buffy repeated. "Right." Did fortune tellers ever predict happy things? "So, does this mean I'm going to die? 'Cause," she laughed softly. "Been there."

"Death has been transcended."

Old news.

"He will return."

"He? He who?" Buffy flashed back to her last encounter with the Immortal and hoped he wouldn't be flinging more daggers her way any time soon.

Madam Zora raised her large eyes to meet Buffy's. "No, he has returned." She flipped another card over. "And he has lied."

A lying man. That really narrowed down the list of suspects.

"Thank you," Buffy said slowly, sensing that there wasn't much more that she wanted to hear. She'd hoped for some sort of revelation, but all she got were more random images that meant nothing. "That'll be six pounds, right?"

Madam Zora blinked as if startled and then smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes, my child."

Buffy reached into her wallet and pulled out a ten pound note. "Do you have change?" Her words were cut off as Madam Zora grasped her hand tightly. "Or you could keep all of it," Buffy replied quickly.

"Be careful, dear girl," she warned. "Your heart, I fear, is in for a breaking."

Buffy glared at the woman as she pulled her wrist away. "Well I've got good insurance," she replied, speaking as if she were addressing a crazy person. _As if?_ She placed the bill on the tabletop and exit through the beaded doorway.

* * *

"Fred? Is that you?" She must be Xander's mysterious blue person. "Why are you blue?" 

"You knew Winifred Burkle?" Illyria asked, her posture becoming less defensive.

"Yeah," Willow answered slowly. She looked down at Spike's body.

"She is gone. I am Illyria," she said proudly, sticking her chin into the air.

"What?" Willow asked distractedly. "Fred's gone? What do you mean?"

"I am one of the Old Ones." Illyria stepped towards her, recognition flashing in her startling blue eyes. "I have memories of you."

"Yeah," Willow said uncertainly. "We met last year. You… listen, is he OK?" she asked, nodding towards Spike.

Illyria turned to look at her wounded companion. "He didn't burn when the sun rose. He is mortal, and his wounds are affecting him."

"Mortal," Willow whispered in awe, seeing his chest rise and fall as he breathed. "How?" She moved closer towards him, but Illyria stood in her way.

"You will not harm him."

"I don't want to harm him," Willow assured her. "I came to help."

"Another of his former acquaintances attempted to touch him." Willow glanced at Pavayne's body. Fred did that? "I cannot trust you."

"No, you can. You remember me, right? Even though you've had some sort of identity crisis," she grinned sheepishly as she took in the tight leather outfit. "Not that I'm complaining. But you know that I'm not evil."

Illyria stared at Willow with her large blue eyes boring into her. "You're Willow Rosenburg. A witch."

"Yes, a good witch. Like Glinda."

"Glinda?"

"Never saw Wizard of Oz? OK, then let's just settle on me being good. Ignore the pop culture reference." Spike moaned on the ground behind them, silencing them both. His head rolled to the side and Willow could tell that he was in a great amount of pain. "He needs to get to a hospital."

"I suppose I may trust you," Illyria commented before disappearing.

"What?" Willow squeaked in confusion, looking around her. She shook it off and rushed over to Spike. "My god, you're really alive." She watched as he breathed, slightly unsettled by the peculiarity of the sight. "Spike?" she probed, reaching to touch his shoulder. Her senses were weakend, but she could feel the leather beneath her fingers. He was really there.

A few minutes later her head snapped around when she heard tires squealing nearby. A battered maroon Taurus whipped around the corner and into the alley, stopping abruptly right in front of them. Illyria sat behind the wheel. She opened the door. "Get him inside. We will move much faster with transportation."

Willow moved to lift Spike off the ground, but turned and shot Illyria a pleading look.

Illyria stepped out of the car. "Weakness is a common plight among your kind." She lifted Spike off of the ground as if she were holding a teddy bear. Illyria placed him in the backseat of the car. "Get in."

Willow hopped in the passenger's seat and they sped off.

"No, reverse!" Willow shouted as they zoomed forward. She pointed towards the gear shift and Illyria considered it with interest before pulling it back. They grazed the side of a brick building as they turned out of the alley, and after several shrill driving instructions from Willow, Illyria set them on a course towards the nearest hospital.

* * *

"We're back," Dawn called out as she and the others returned to Giles' apartment, _sans_ Buffy. They wandered into the kitchen and placed the grocery bags on the table. Giles balled up the note he'd left for Xander and Willow and tossed it into the bin. 

"Willow?" Kennedy called, walking towards the guest bedroom. She knocked softly before opening the door. "Hey, are you awake?"

One look at Xander's alarmed face froze her where she stood. Willow was on the bed, and she wasn't moving. "What happened?" she asked urgently. Giles and Dawn appeared in the doorway behind her.

"I don't know," he answered. "I'm pretty sure she did a locator spell, but I don't know why she won't wake up."

Kennedy and Giles moved towards the bed. Dawn stood frozen in the doorway. "She's OK, isn't she?"

Giles removed his glasses and examined Willow's face. Her brow was furrowed in distress. Kennedy took one of her hands in her own and then her eyes widened. "Oh my god, I think she's astralled."

"She whattled?" Xander asked nervously.

"Yes," Giles concurred. "Astral projection," he explained, facing Xander. "She's in another plane."

"Another plane?" said Dawn. "Is she OK? She doesn't look good."

"Last time this happened she was looking for a Slayer that an evil shaman had banished from our plane," Kennedy explained. "She was like this for three days."

"Is it safe?" Dawn asked as Andrew entered the room behind her.

"That all depends on where she is," Giles replied grimly. "Astral projection requires most of her energy, leaving her defenseless if something should attack her. Doing this without telling anyone… she's put herself in serious danger."

"Why would she do that? Where did she go that was so important?"

Kennedy looked to Xander, causing the others to turn and look to him as well.

"There was more to my vision than I told you guys," he confessed. "I saw…"

He was interrupted as a voice drifted through the hallway. "Guys? Is anyone here?"

Buffy walked into the bedroom and took in the scene before her. "What's going on?"

"Willow astralled herself onto another plane," Dawn informed her.

"What? Why?"

"That's a good question," Kennedy said sourly, returning her gaze to Xander. His focus was on Buffy. Would it be a good idea to tell her?

* * *

Two medics arrived at the emergency room entrance with a gurney. 

"What happened?" they asked as they lifted Spike onto the stretcher. He hadn't stirred since they left the alley, and his breathing had become shallow. Willow looked to Illyria.

"He was badly wounded," Illyria informed him.

The young medic with glasses stared at her. _Duh._

"…in a car accident," Willow added. Now both medics stared at them in disbelief. How were they going to explain those wounds? "A-after a bad bar fight," she continued. More raised eyebrows. She frowned. "Are you going to help him or not?"

"Dr. Clark!" one of them shouted as they wheeled Spike towards the double doors. "We've got a trauma victim. Multiple cuts and stab wounds on the lower abdomen and right chest…"

"Wait a minute." A large nurse stepped in front of Willow and Illyria and held a clipboard in her hand. "We'll need some information."

Willow hesitantly took the clipboard. The nurse wrinkled her nose at Illyria in distaste before turning away. Willow sat down in one of the cold seats in the waiting room. "_Name_? Er, I guess I should put William," she said, quickly scribbling it down. "_Last name_? Oh god, what's his last name?"

"He doesn't have one. He and Angel were like Madonna," Illyria told her.

Willow stared at her in disbelief. "You know Madonna but you don't know the Wizard of Oz"

"I met her one day while following the green horned demon. She has strangely spaced teeth."

"Spike needs a last name" she said with a sigh. Without giving it much thought Willow wrote _Rosenburg_. "Insurance? Oh boy."

* * *

"Where did she go?" Buffy asked. Willow had a frustrated expression on her face. "That can't be good." 

"L.A.," Xander blurted out. Giles stared at him.

"L.A.? Why would she…"

"She did a locator spell. There's a map on her computer."

Buffy and Dawn stared at the monitor and saw the light glowing through it. "Why would she go to L.A.?"

"Because…" Xander was practically hyperventilating in fear of the response his next statement would receive. "Because she was looking for Spike."

"Spike?"

Kennedy looked incredulous, Giles awed, Dawn amazed, Andrew sheepish, and Buffy... laughed.

"What?" she replied shrilly. "Xander, Spike's gone."

"Actually," said Andrew. All eyes turned towards him. "He's kinda not."

"What are you talking about?"

"When Giles sent me to L.A. to pick up that wacko Slayer-"

"Dana," Buffy and Kennedy offered.

"Right, her. Well, I saw Spike. He was there with Angel."

"How is that possible?" asked Giles. "Spike was burnt alive… more or less."

"I'm telling you, he was there. All corporeal and stuff. _And_ he came to Rome."

"He _what_?" Buffy was on the verge of hysteria. Spike was alive and no one told her? He came to Rome? He went to Angel instead of her? He wasn't gone?

"Y-Yeah." Andrew was slowly backing towards the doorway. "He and Angel. They came looking for you when you were out with the Immortal."

Buffy sighed and closed her eyes. "Why didn't anyone tell me he was alive?"

"On that subject," Xander interjected quietly. "His aliveness is still up to question."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I saw him in my vision. He was alive, but bleeding."

Tears fell from her eyes, but miraculously Buffy was managing to keep it together. For now.

"And he was human."

"What?" It was Andrew's turn to shriek in surprise. "No, when I saw him he was still a vampire. Dana tried to kill him, she even cut off his arms..."

"_He doesn't have arms_?" Buffy shrieked. _This was too much. Too, too much..._

"He had some when he came to Rome" Andrew put his hands over his ears. "Oh, this is bad. This is why he didn't want me to tell you."

"He didn't want me to know?" Buffy replied. She was hurt. Spike had been crazy about her, why wouldn't he come to her first thing?

"I saw him in my vision," Xander repeated. "He was human. The sun was out, he was breathing…"

"Guys, stop it!" Dawn shouted. Buffy was slowly falling, and Dawn quickly got to her in time and set her on the edge of the bed. "Buffy?"

"Oh god," she wept. "All of my exes are going to live forever."

Everyone wanted to laugh, but no one dared to.

"Except maybe Riley," she said. "Oh god! I jinxed him. He's probably out there, dying because I… I…" Buffy gasped for air. "Alive?" she squeaked miserably, turning wide, frightened eyes to Xander.

"Let's hope so."

Dawn sat beside her on the bed and wrapped a comforting arm around her sister's shoulders. "What do we do now?" she asked Giles.

"I think the best thing to do right now is to bring Willow back. I can only imagine what sort of danger she's in."

* * *

"Are you of any relation to the patient?" 

"Um, yeah," Willow replied. "He's my, uh, my cousin."

"Do you not have any information regarding your cousin's insurance?" the nurse asked.

"No, he's kind of a distant cousin. From England. Can we see him?"

The nurse sent another perturbed glance in Illyria's direction. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait in here until we hear more from his doctors."

"I will wait no longer," said Illyria regally, moving towards the double doors.

"What she say?" asked the nurse. Willow followed after her. "Hey!"

Willow jogged slightly to catch up. "Fred, wait!"

"Stop calling me Fred."

"OK, um… what was it that you called yourself?"

"Illyria."

"Illyria, right. I don't know if we should be in here."

Illyria stopped. "You."

"Me?" said Willow. Has she gone mental? Well, yeah, with the hair and the clothes…

"I think she's referring to me."

Willow stopped and noticed tall man in a nice suit standing in front of them. His face was covered in blood and his neck appeared to be twisting towards the side.

"You're supposed to be dead," said Illyria.

"Who says I'm not?"

"Oh," said Willow. "You must be a lawyer."

Hamilton grinned at her. "Don't insult me."

"You will not touch him," Illyria growled. Hamilton laughed.

"My dear, who said I came for the vampire?"

He threw a punch at her and she dodged it. She whipped around him and kicked him in the legs. Hamilton laughed as he fell to his back.

"Come on, great one!" He threw her into a nurse who was pushing a cart of instruments past them. Illyria, the young woman, and the cart flew into the wall and onto the floor. "Show me what you can do with that wimpy little body."

The nurse scampered away in fear as Illyria growled and shot to her feet, lifting Hamilton by the lapels of his jacket and flinging him through the wall.

"Oh my god!"

Several of the doctors and nurses in the room shrieked and fled. Willow followed Illyria into the room.

Spike was lying on exam table, connected to tubes and all sorts of monitors. His shirt and jacket had been removed and his chest was covered in gauze bandages. He had stitches on the side of his face and an IV in his left arm.

"Is that all?" Hamilton laughed, struggling to his feet. "I won't die," he laughed madly, coming at her. Blood streamed from a large cut across his forehead. "You'll never win!"

Illyria placed her hands on the side of his head and twisted it roughly. Not only did his neck snap, but his head came clean off.

"Neither will you."

His head landed next to his body with a thud. Illyria turned to Willow. "We must leave."

Willow nodded fervently and rushed to Spike's side. She pulled out the tubes and the IV and grabbed his leather jacket off the side of the chair. "You'll be wanting that," she muttered, throwing it over him. She placed her hands on either side of the table and pushed.

The waiting room was filled with confused family members and nurses. The admittance nurse stood near the doorway. "What the hell?" she bellowed as Willow and Spike wheeled through the doors, Illyria hot on their tail.

Once they were inside the sedan they sped off. Willow sat in the back seat with Spike's head resting in her lap. "We can't keep doing this," she said as Illyria drove aimlessly away from the hospital. "He needs more attention."

"They'll keep coming. Wolfram Hart will send more after us."

"Well, you can just rip off more heads, right?"

Illyria shot around a tight corner. "Please don't speak. I need to concentrate."

_Oh god, she's going to kill us. Why didn't I drive?_

"W-Willow?"

Spike's eyes were opened slightly, tiny slits revealing blurry blue eyes behind them.

"Spike, you're awake?"

"Where…" he gasped and started over. "Is Buffy...?"

She shook her head. "No, Buffy's not here. She doesn't know."

Spike's eyes closed in relief, either that or he didn't have enough strength to keep them open anymore. "Don't tell her. Don't want her to see… not like this."

"OK, I won't tell her." Willow gasped at the end of her promise, feeling as if she were being ripped from the vehicle. "Oh god..."

"Where are you going?" Illyria asked, unaware that her cohort was being pulled through several planes.There was a white flash and Willow opened her eyes, shooting upward off the bed. "No!"

"That was a very stupid thing you just did," Giles admonished in shaky voice.

"Oh no," said Willow, noticing that there were several more people in the room than had been there when she'd left. Buffy stood near the door with tears in her eyes. Giles closed the book in which he'd found the spell to bring Willow back.

"Indeed."

Willow whimpered. "You don't understand."

"Oh, we understand" Buffy told her firmly. "Did you see him" she asked.

Willow looked nervously to Xander as if seeking out permission to respond truthfully. He looked away.

"Yes" she replied.

"Great. Spike's in Los Angeles. So that's where we'll go."


End file.
